Method and apparatus for remote surveillance

ABSTRACT

A remote surveillance apparatus and method comprising a camera coupled to a support structure and configured to capture video data and transmit the captured video data, a router bound to a public internet protocol (IP) address of a data center computing device external to the remote surveillance apparatus using a virtual private network (VPN), the router being configured to receive the captured video data, and wirelessly retransmit the captured video data, via a modem, to a requesting computing device external to the remote surveillance apparatus in response to a request originating at the requesting computing device that is addressed to the public IP address of the data center computing device and subsequently directed to the router by the data center computing device.

RELATED APPLICATION DATA

This application is a continuation of U.S. Nonprovisional applicationNo. 15,090,003, filed Apr. 4, 2016, which itself claims priority to U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/141,909, filed Apr. 2, 2015, thedisclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference in theirentirety.

BACKGROUND

There are limited options for remote surveillance for a worksite, suchas a construction site. One surveillance option is to use an InternetProtocol (IP) Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) surveillance camera.However, traditional IP CCTV surveillance camera systems arenon-portable, permanent installations which take a long time to installand are fixed to a particular location. In the situation where aconstruction project rapidly progresses to different location or inwhich the camera is only required for a short duration, such aninstallation is expensive and inefficient.

Another surveillance option is to use wireless devices such assmartphones, which can transmit data over a cellular connection.However, wireless devices such as smartphones are typically notweatherproof or designed for continuous operation. Additionally, manycellular devices utilize private IP addresses, which allow the devicesto request data from other sources over the cellular connection, but donot allow for a remote device to address requests to the cellular device(since the IP address is not public). In this situation, it would bedifficult for a user to remotely access the video data being captured bythe wireless device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for utilizing a remote surveillanceapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the remote surveillance apparatusaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the remotesurveillance apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the remote surveillance apparatusaccording to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 5 is perspective view showing the adjustable height of the remotesurveillance apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a battery backup system according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of an enclosure of the remote surveillanceapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the remote surveillance apparatus in afolded configuration according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the remote surveillance apparatusincluding a solar panel according to an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the remote surveillance apparatusincluding a solar panel and having a fixed mast according to anexemplary embodiment.

FIG. 11 illustrates an interface of a user computing device used toaccess the remote surveillance apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 12 illustrates another interface of a user computing device used toaccess the remote surveillance apparatus according to an exemplaryembodiment.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart for operating a remote surveillanceapparatus according an exemplary embodiment.

FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary computing environment that can be usedto carry out the method for operating a remote surveillance apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

While methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media are describedherein by way of examples and embodiments, those skilled in the artrecognize that methods, apparatuses, and computer-readable media foroperating a remote surveillance apparatus are not limited to theembodiments or drawings described. It should be understood that thedrawings and description are not intended to be limited to theparticular form disclosed. Rather, the intention is to cover allmodifications, equivalents and alternatives falling within the spiritand scope of the appended claims. Any headings used herein are fororganizational purposes only and are not meant to limit the scope of thedescription or the claims. As used herein, the word “may” is used in apermissive sense (i.e., meaning having the potential to) rather than themandatory sense (i.e., meaning must). Similarly, the words “include,”“including,” and “includes” mean including, but not limited to.

Applicant has discovered and developed a new remote surveillanceapparatus and associated process to allow users to conduct remotesurveillance of a location without requiring permanent installation ofsurveillance equipment. The remote surveillance apparatus is mobile andincludes protective components which enable deployment at a variety oflocations, such as construction worksites. Additionally, Applicant hasdiscovered and developed a new apparatus and process which enables usersto directly access the remote surveillance apparatus from a usercomputing device.

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for utilizing a remote surveillanceapparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, thesystem includes one or more remote observation apparatuses, one or moredatacenters (where each datacenter can include multiple computingdevices) and one or more user computing devices.

The system is configured to transmit video from the remote observationapparatus over a network, such as the Internet, to the one or moredatacenters, and then on to the one or more user computing devices. Aswill be discussed further with respect to the apparatus, the video datacaptured by the remote surveillance apparatus can be transmitted to adatacenter over a virtual private network (VPN).

Each datacenter can include one or more servers, which store andtranscode the video(s). Each server can sort and/or store the videosreceived on an hourly basis and can include an image repository.

The one or more user computing devices are configured to communicatewith the one or more datacenters through a network, such as theinternet. Individuals can view or access the videos (or portions thereofor select ones of the videos) via the user computing device(s). Thesystem is not limited to use with one particular type of user computingdevice. For example, a user computing device can be a smartphone, atablet, a laptop, a desktop, a vehicle's center console, body wearablessuch as watches and glasses, and the like.

The video(s) can be streamed live, or can be recorded for real-timeplayback and/or time lapse viewing. In particular, the video streamingcan be transcoded for live playback, transcoded for historical replay,on-the-fly time-lapse, and/or server side pre-complied time-lapse.Additionally, the video data can include one or more images captured bythe remote observation apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the remote surveillance apparatus 200according to an exemplary embodiment. The apparatus 200 can be locatedor positioned at any site in which it is desirable to periodically orconstantly monitor or view, such as at a construction site or theexterior of a home. The apparatus 200 its can components can bewaterproof or water-resistant.

The apparatus 200 includes a camera 204 movably coupled to a mast 202and configured to capture video data and transmit the captured videodata. The camera 204 can be a high-definition, internet protocol, and/orclosed-circuit television camera. The camera 204 can employ or utilizeReal Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP). The camera 204 can take timer-basedsnapshots and/or motion-based snapshots. Two or more cameras 204 can bemounted to a single mast 202, if desired.

The apparatus 200 can further include a base 205, shown as a tripod. Ofcourse the base 205 can include other structures for stabilizing themast 202, such as a heavy disc, geometric shape, or weight coupled tothe mast 202.

The camera 204 can rotate with respect to the mast 202, such that thecamera 204 can capture video in 360 degrees. The camera 204 can includean infrared, night vision light emitting diode (LED) 201. Additionally,the camera 204 is configured to be able to tilt, pan, and zoom. The mast202 can be military-grade telescopic mast which allows the camera 204 tobe selectively raised and lowered (i.e., adjustable height) with respectto the ground or other mounting surface.

The apparatus 200 also includes a router configured to receive thecaptured video data and wirelessly retransmit the captured video data,via a modem, to a user computing device in response to a request fromthe user computing device. The modem and/or router can be contained in asingle device. For example, a cellular modem/router device can be usedto transmit the data over a 4G cellular network. The router and themodem are housed in an enclosure 203 coupled to the mast 202 and/or thebase 205.

The enclosure 203 can be attached or mounted to the mast 202 or the base205 and can be operatively connected to the camera 204. A high gain,cellular antenna 206 can also be attached or mounted to the mast 202 orthe enclosure 203 and can be communicatively coupled to the enclosure203 and/or the camera 204. A power connector 207 can allow the enclosure203 to be operatively connected to a power source, such as a generatoror a conventional wall socket.

The router can be configured to retransmit the captured video data tothe user computing device in response to a request originating at theuser computing device and addressed to a data center computing devicewhich is part of the data center and which is external to the remotesurveillance apparatus. In this case, the router can be bound to apublic internet protocol (IP) address of the data center computingdevice using a virtual private network (VPN) and the router can comprisethe termination point of the VPN. The request from the user computingdevice can be addressed to the public IP address of the data centercomputing device and can be directed to the router by a data centerfirewall or other network component in the data center, using hairpinrouting. For example, the data center can be configured to translate thepublic IP address of the data center computing device to a private IPaddress associated with the router.

This setup is useful when the modem and/or router of the apparatus havenon-public IP addresses. In many cases, cellular routers and/or modems(or combined devices) are issued private IP addresses. This makes itdifficult to directly query the device, as the request cannot be addressto a valid public IP address. However, by binding the router of theremote surveillance apparatus to a public IP address of a datacentercomputing device in the datacenter using a VPN, a user computing devicecan, indirectly through hairpin routing, request the video data from theremote surveillance apparatus.

The camera 204 can optionally also communicate directly with the networkand the data center in wireless manner, such as a cellular 4G network.For example, if the camera is an IP camera, the IP camera can convertthe captured images to data packers and transmit them over the network.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of a portion of the remotesurveillance apparatus 200 according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3illustrates the antenna 206, LED 201, enclosure 203, camera 204, mast202, and power connector 207 in greater detail.

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the remote surveillance apparatus200 according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 4 illustrates the antenna206, camera 204, mast 202, enclosure 203, and base 205 from a rearperspective.

FIG. 5 is perspective view showing the adjustable height of the remotesurveillance apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 5illustrates two remote surveillance apparatuses 501 and 502. As shown inFIG. 5, the mast 503 of apparatus 502 has been extended to a greaterheight relative to apparatus 501 and the ground.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a battery backup system 600 according toan exemplary embodiment. The battery backup system 600 can be connectedto the enclosure 203 to supply energy in the event of a power failureand/or to enable the apparatus 200 to operate outside the reach ofconventional power supplies.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the enclosure 203 of the remotesurveillance apparatus 200 according to an exemplary embodiment. Asshown FIG. 7, the enclosure can house a fan 211, a modem 209, a router210, and/or a power-over-Ethernet injector 208 which can connect withand power the camera 204. Of course, as discussed earlier, the routerand/or modem can be contained in a single device such as a modem withrouter functionality. The fan 211 can be temperature controlled, so asto cool the enclosure 203 and components within the enclosure 203 when atemperature reaches a predetermined point. The modem 209 can be aUniversal Serial Bus (USB) cellular modem or a non-USB cellular modem.Additionally, the router 210 can operate on a 3G, 4G, or other network,and/or can form or create a Wi-Fi™ access point.

During initial setup of the apparatus 200, the router 210 can optionallycreate a Wi-Fi™ access point to enable calibration of the camera on anew site. For example, a user computing device can be used to connectdirectly to the access point, access the camera through the access point(such as by using the cameras address on the wireless network), and thenadjust the tilt, pan, and zoom, or other position of the camera prior tothe user departing the site.

As discussed earlier, video feeds, including live or recorded videofees, can be transmitted using the router and modem over an encryptedvirtual private network (VPN) link. The camera 204 and/or the video canbe remotely accessible by public Internet Protocol (IP), which is madepossible by hairpin routing over a VPN tunnel. In this case, the systememploys advanced networking to transmit the video(s) (or portionsthereof) between the camera 204, the datacenter(s) and the usercomputing device(s). In particular, the router 210 can be a cellularrouter with Internet Protocol Security (IPsec) VPN. The router 210 canfunction as an IPsec VPN termination point, which builds or creates atunnel from the router 210 to the datacenter(s). The tunnel canencapsulate an entire original IP packet and can add a new packetheader. Each datacenter can include a firewall or other networkcomponent, which performs network address translation (NAT) and hairpinrouting. Accordingly, the captured video data content can then bepulled, instead of pushed, across the VPN.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the remote surveillance apparatus in afolded configuration according to an exemplary embodiment. As shown inFIG. 8, the apparatus 200 can be folded for easy transport. In a foldedconfiguration, the apparatus 200 can fit within any standard vehicletrunk. The apparatus 200 can be unfolded and set-up to permit operationof the camera 204 in a relatively short period of time, such as severalseconds.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the remote surveillance apparatus 900including a solar panel 912 according to an exemplary embodiment.Apparatus 900 can include all of the components in the apparatuses ofFIGS. 2-8, such as camera 904, mast 902, a first enclosure 903, and base905.

Additionally, apparatus 900 includes a solar panel 912 movably coupledto the mast 902 and configured to tilt and swivel and a second enclosure913 coupled to the base 905. Of course, second enclosure 913 can also becoupled to the mast 902. The second enclosure 913 houses a battery whichis electrically coupled to the solar panel and configured to storeenergy collected by the solar panel 912. The battery is used to powerthe camera, the modem, and/or the router. Of course the first enclosure903 and the second enclosure 913 can be combined into a single enclosurewhich houses all of the components in the first and second enclosures.

As shown in FIG. 9, the first enclosure 903 is coupled to a lower halfof the mast 902 and the second enclosure 913 is coupled to the base 905of the apparatus 900. This positioning allows the apparatus 900 tomaintain a center of mass as close to the ground as possible, since thefirst enclosure 903 and the second enclosure 913 are located within thelower third of the apparatus 900.

Additionally, the solar panel 912 is coupled to the upper half of themast 902 in order to optimize the quantity of sunlight received byelevating the panel 912 above any obstructions or shadows. Of course,the solar panel 912 height can still be adjusted via the telescopic mast902.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a remote surveillance apparatus 1000including a solar panel 1012 and having a fixed mast 1002 according toan exemplary embodiment. In this case, the mast 1002 comprises apreexisting pipe structure to which the solar panel 1012, a singleenclosure 1013, and a camera 1004 are coupled. Camera 1004 comprises apan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera. Additionally, the single enclosure 1013includes all the components previously described in the first enclosureand the second enclosure with respect to FIGS. 2-9.

FIG. 11 illustrates a graphical user interface 1100 of a user computingdevice that displays at least a portion of video captured by the remotesurveillance apparatus. As shown in FIG. 11, the camera can be directedtoward a construction site, and live video of the site can be accessedor viewed via a user computing device. Due to the weatherproofing anddurability of the camera, enclosures, and base, the remote surveillanceapparatus is not susceptible to the harsh outdoor environment or rigorsof a construction site.

FIG. 12 illustrates another graphical user interface 1200 of a usercomputing device that displays at least a portion of video captured andtransmitted through the system. As shown in FIG. 12, multiple remotesurveillance apparatuses and/or a single remote surveillance apparatushaving multiple coupled cameras can be positioned around an exterior ofa home. Live video of the exterior of the home can be streamed to adisplay in a dashboard console of a car or other vehicle, for example.Other potential locations for the remote surveillance apparatus includesporting or music events, and commercial businesses.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart for operating a remote surveillanceapparatus (such as the ones described with reference to FIGS. 1-10)according an exemplary embodiment. At step 1301, video data is capturedby a camera, the camera being movably coupled to a mast. At step 1302,the captured video data is transmitted by the camera to a router.

At step 1303 the captured video data is wirelessly retransmitted by therouter to a user computing device via a modem in response to a requestfrom the user computing device. The captured video data can beretransmitted to the user computing device in response to a requestoriginating at the user computing device and addressed to a data centercomputing device in a data center external to the remote surveillanceapparatus. As discussed earlier, the router can be bound to a publicinternet protocol (IP) address of the data center computing device usinga virtual private network (VPN) and the router can comprise thetermination point of the VPN. In this case, the request can be addressedto the public IP address of the data center computing device and can bedirected to the router by the data center using hairpin routing. Inorder to re-route the request, the data center can be configured totranslate the public IP address of the data center computing device to aprivate IP address associated with the router.

One method of using the system and apparatus disclosed herein includesselecting a location for the remote surveillance apparatus. If theremote surveillance apparatus requires a separate source of electricalpower, a location can be chosen in which electrical power is accessibleor provided. The remote surveillance apparatus can be placed in thedesired location, and anchors attached to the base of the remotesurveillance apparatus may be inserted into the ground. After electricalpower is supplied to the remote surveillance apparatus, the system canpower-up in a short period of time, such as within two minutes. A usercomputing device can be used to connect to the network created by therouter of remote surveillance apparatus to test the view of the camera.An individual can then view video captured by the camera of the remotesurveillance apparatus over the Internet, for example.

Historical and/or time-lapse footage can be automatically generated,either at the apparatus itself or a data center. More particularly, livefootage can be transmitted over a cellular provider across an encryptedVPN channel to the datacenter. One or more computing devices in the datacenter can receive incoming video feeds and store the video(s) inreal-time and/or time-lapse versions. If and/or when an individualrequests a video via a user computing device, the video can beautomatically transcoded for the proper bit rate for that user computingdevice.

Users at the user computing devices can have multiple options forviewing the video data captured by the remote surveillance apparatus. Auser can view the video data in real-time as it is captured by theremote surveillance apparatus. A user can also view previous video datain time-lapse manner which is footage from a period of time compressedinto a shorter period of time. For example, a ⅙ time lapse video can becreated by extracting every 6^(th) frame from the raw video footage andcombining the extracted frames to construct the time lapse video.

Additionally, a user can view the video data in a hybrid manner whichinitially displays time-lapse video data up to the current time and thenswitches to real-time video data when the video data “catches up” to thecurrent time. For example, the remote surveillance apparatus can startrecording video data at initial time 7 AM and begin transmitting thatvideo data to the datacenter computing device in the datacenter which isassociated with that particular remote surveillance apparatus. Thedatacenter can track whether a user has viewed the video data footagefor that particular day, such as by monitoring requests from the usercomputing device. When the user initiates a request to view the videodata at the datacenter, the datacenter can then transmit time lapsefootage from the initial time, 7 AM in this case, up the current time.When video data reaches the current time, then the datacenter can routethe request to the camera as discussed earlier and stream the live videodata to the user computing device.

The time lapse video footage can be generated from the compiled videodata received from the remote surveillance apparatus. For example, aftera predetermined period of time (such as every hour), the datacenter cancreate a new time lapse video of the video data that has been received.If the predetermined period of time is 1 hour, and five hours havepassed since the remote surveillance apparatus began recording, then thedatacenter will have create five time lapse videos. The time lapse videofootage can also be generated at the time of request from the user.

Alternatively, the time lapse video footage can be generated on-the fly,as the video data is received from the remote surveillance apparatus. Inthis case, the received video stream is used to generate two childstreams. The first child stream comprises all of the data in thereceived video stream and is the non-time lapse footage. The first childstream is essentially just the unaltered received video stream. Thesecond child stream comprises only a fraction of the frames in theincoming video stream. The second child stream can be generated byextracting a frame from the incoming video stream periodically. Forexample, the second child stream can be generated by extracting every6^(th) frame of video from the incoming video stream for inclusion inthe second child stream. The first child stream can then be stored asthe pre-recorded non-time lapse footage, and the second child stream canbe stored as the time lapse footage of the same period of time. Based onthe user's preferences or selections, one or the other or somecombination of the non-time lapse and time lapse footage can betransmitted to the user. The advantage of this technique is that nopost-processing is required to generate the time lapse video after theincoming video data has been processed.

The apparatus and method disclosed herein have many advantages. Previousimage snapshot systems require only require 50 kbps to operate over acellular network. Video streams require 1,000 kbps or more, which istwenty times more than the previous image snapshot systems. Therefore,video could not be utilized with previous image snapshot systems and anew solution is required. In addition, prior art systems have longset-up times, are unable to transmit live video, and result in a slow orlagging experience.

4G networks, such as those operated by Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, haveall adopted private IP space instead of public IP space, whicheffectively eliminates the ability to remotely request resources from acomputer device. To solve this problem, the present system employs anIPsec VPN from the remote surveillance apparatus to the datacenter. Butsuch a feature alone only bridges two private components or networkstogether, and does not allow public accessibility to the remotesurveillance apparatus. Hairpin routing with Network Address Translation(NAT) over VPN tunnel are the technologies that can be combined by thepresent system to provide the functionality described herein.Hairpinning allows packets to come in and out of the same interface. NATcan translate the public to private IP and then VPN can encapsulate thepackets with encryption destined to the remote surveillance apparatus.User computing devices in communication with the datacenter are able toremotely initiate a Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP) video streamsession.

One or more of the above-described techniques can be implemented in orinvolve one or more computer systems. FIG. 14 illustrates a generalizedexample of a computing environment 1400. The computing environment 1400is not intended to suggest any limitation as to scope of use orfunctionality of a described embodiment.

With reference to FIG. 14, the computing environment 1400 includes atleast one processing unit 1410 and memory 1420. The processing unit 1410executes computer-executable instructions and may be a real or a virtualprocessor. In a multi-processing system, multiple processing unitsexecute computer-executable instructions to increase processing power.The memory 1420 may be volatile memory (e.g., registers, cache, RAM),non-volatile memory (e.g., ROM, EEPROM, flash memory, etc.), or somecombination of the two. The memory 1420 may store software instructions1480 for implementing the described techniques when executed by one ormore processors. Memory 1420 can be one memory device or multiple memorydevices.

A computing environment may have additional features. For example, thecomputing environment 1400 includes storage 1440, one or more inputdevices 1450, one or more output devices 1460, and one or morecommunication connections 1490. An interconnection mechanism 1470, suchas a bus, controller, or network interconnects the components of thecomputing environment 1400. Typically, operating system software orfirmware (not shown) provides an operating environment for othersoftware executing in the computing environment 1400, and coordinatesactivities of the components of the computing environment 1400.

The storage 1440 may be removable or non-removable, and includesmagnetic disks, magnetic tapes or cassettes, CD-ROMs, CD-RWs, DVDs, orany other medium which can be used to store information and which can beaccessed within the computing environment 1400. The storage 1440 maystore instructions for the software 1480.

The input device(s) 1450 may be a touch input device such as a keyboard,mouse, pen, trackball, touch screen, or game controller, a voice inputdevice, a scanning device, a digital camera, remote control, or anotherdevice that provides input to the computing environment 1400. The outputdevice(s) 1460 may be a display, television, monitor, printer, speaker,or another device that provides output from the computing environment1400.

The communication connection(s) 1490 enable communication over acommunication medium to another computing entity. The communicationmedium conveys information such as computer-executable instructions,audio or video information, or other data in a modulated data signal. Amodulated data signal is a signal that has one or more of itscharacteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode informationin the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communicationmedia include wired or wireless techniques implemented with anelectrical, optical, RF, infrared, acoustic, or other carrier.

Implementations can be described in the general context ofcomputer-readable media. Computer-readable media are any available mediathat can be accessed within a computing environment. By way of example,and not limitation, within the computing environment 1400,computer-readable media include memory 1420, storage 1440, communicationmedia, and combinations of any of the above.

Of course, FIG. 14 illustrates computing environment 1400, displaydevice 1460, and input device 1450 as separate devices for ease ofidentification only. Computing environment 1400, display device 1460,and input device 1450 may be separate devices (e.g., a personal computerconnected by wires to a monitor and mouse), may be integrated in asingle device (e.g., a mobile device with a touch-display, such as asmartphone or a tablet), or any combination of devices (e.g., acomputing device operatively coupled to a touch-screen display device, aplurality of computing devices attached to a single display device andinput device, etc.). Computing environment 1400 may be a set-top box,mobile device, personal computer, or one or more servers, for example afarm of networked servers, a clustered server environment, or a cloudnetwork of computing devices.

Having described and illustrated the principles of our invention withreference to the described embodiment, it will be recognized that thedescribed embodiment can be modified in arrangement and detail withoutdeparting from such principles. It should be understood that theprograms, processes, or methods described herein are not related orlimited to any particular type of computing environment, unlessindicated otherwise. Various types of general purpose or specializedcomputing environments may be used with or perform operations inaccordance with the teachings described herein. Elements of thedescribed embodiment shown in software may be implemented in hardwareand vice versa.

In view of the many possible embodiments to which the principles of ourinvention may be applied, we claim as our invention all such embodimentsas may come within the scope and spirit of the following claims andequivalents thereto.

It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that changes could bemade to the embodiments described above without departing from the broadinventive concept thereof. For example, the steps or order of operationof the above-described method could be rearranged or occur in adifferent series, as understood by those skilled in the art. It isunderstood, therefore, that this disclosure is not limited to theparticular embodiments disclosed, but it is intended to covermodifications within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure asdefined by the appended claims.

1. A remote surveillance apparatus, comprising, a camera coupled to asupport structure and configured to capture video data and transmit thecaptured video data; and a router bound to a public internet protocol(IP) address of a data center computing device external to the remotesurveillance apparatus using a virtual private network (VPN), the routerbeing configured to: receive the captured video data, and wirelesslyretransmit the captured video data, via a modem, to a requestingcomputing device external to the remote surveillance apparatus inresponse to a request originating at the requesting computing devicethat is addressed to the public IP address of the data center computingdevice and subsequently directed to the router by the data centercomputing device.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: anenclosure coupled to the support structure that houses the router andthe modem.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the enclosure furtherhouses one or more of: a fan configured to cool components housed in thefirst enclosure; or a Power over Ethernet injector coupled to thecamera.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the router comprises thetermination point of the VPN.
 5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein therequest directed to the router by the data center computing device usinghairpin routing.
 6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the public IPaddress of the data center computing device is translated to a privateIP address associated with the router.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1,further comprising: a solar panel movably coupled to the supportstructure and configured to tilt and swivel; a battery electricallycoupled to the solar panel and configured to store energy collected bythe solar panel and power one or more of the camera, the modem, and therouter; and a battery enclosure coupled to a base of the supportstructure and housing the battery.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe camera is movably coupled to the support structure.
 9. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the router and the modem are contained within asingle device.
 10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the supportstructure comprises a mast.
 11. A method for operating a remotesurveillance apparatus, the method comprising: capturing, by a camera,video data, wherein the camera is coupled to a support structure;transmitting, by the camera, the captured video data to a router boundto a public internet protocol (IP) address of a data center computingdevice external to the remote surveillance apparatus using a virtualprivate network (VPN); and wirelessly retransmitting, by the router, thecaptured video data to a requesting computing device via a modem inresponse to a request originating at the requesting computing devicethat is addressed to the public IP address of the data center computingdevice and subsequently directed to the router by the data centercomputing device.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising: anenclosure coupled to the support structure that houses the router andthe modem.
 13. The method of claim 12, wherein the enclosure furtherhouses one or more of: a fan configured to cool components housed in thefirst enclosure; or a Power over Ethernet injector coupled to thecamera.
 14. The method of claim 11, wherein the router comprises thetermination point of the VPN.
 15. The method of claim 14, wherein therequest directed to the router by the data center computing device usinghairpin routing.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the public IPaddress of the data center computing device is translated to a privateIP address associated with the router.
 17. The method of claim 11,further comprising: a solar panel movably coupled to the supportstructure and configured to tilt and swivel; a battery electricallycoupled to the solar panel and configured to store energy collected bythe solar panel and power one or more of the camera, the modem, and therouter; and a battery enclosure coupled to a base of the supportstructure and housing the battery.
 18. The method of claim 11, whereinthe camera is movably coupled to the support structure.
 19. The methodof claim 11, wherein the router and the modem are contained within asingle device.
 20. The method of claim 11, wherein the support structurecomprises a mast.